Leader rating

Synopsis

Buster Keaton, along with Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd, was one of the great comedians of the silent era and his lack of sentimentality, economy of style and consistent deadpan expression (he was nicknamed 'The Great Stone Face') give him a uniquely timeless quality. His films were also characterised by virtuoso set-piece sequences and incredible stunts that, amazingly, were all performed by Keaton and achieved without any camera trickery, and this collection of 32 of his short films is a fine testament to his genius. This boxed-set, released in 2007, spans the period 1917 to 1923. Disc A comprises of the following eight short films: The Butcher Boy (1917), The Rough House (1917), His Wedding Night (1917), Oh, Doctor! (1917), Coney Island (1917), Out West (1918), The Bell Boy (1918) and Moonshine (1918).

What our educators say

"We are currently screening The Wizard of Oz, profound film that it is, and the last film Wall-E. It's been rewarding observing the KS1 6 year olds run the gamut of emotions from wonder to sadness to joy. "